Who Watches Your Back?
by FallenArcana
Summary: "You're so busy watching everyone else's back, who watches yours?" Haurchefant's question seemed so simple, but it opened up the path to so much more. Oneshot. Heavensward Spoilers!


**Apparently I just want to torture myself again by revisiting this moment in FF14 that still haunts me.**

**This is my first FF14 fic that I've tried my hand at, so be gentle. I hope you like it!**

* * *

"You're so busy watching everyone else's back, who watches yours?"

Those words had been stuck in the back of Alcyone's mind for weeks, ever since Haurchefant had asked. It seemed like such a simple question, and Alcyone's answer had been as simple.

"My friends watch my back," she answered him innocently. The Au Ra had then looked to her three fellow adventurers; two Hyurans, Dark Knight Daryan and Summoner Scorchos, and Elezen Machinist Aramis. The three were sitting a little further down the table, enjoying the feast that had been prepared for the success of their last mission.

"I don't doubt that," Haurchefant had smiled as the three laughed at something one of the Elezen soldiers had said. "But surely you've noticed. They have a tendency to…"

"Charge on ahead?" the White Mage had smiled gently, lightly scratching at one of her fin-shaped horns. She took a drink, watching her friends fondly. "That's what I love about them," she admitted with a giggle. "Why do you ask?" Alcyone turned back to Haurchefant, her smile not lessening. The silver-haired Elezen hadn't taken his eyes off her, and a blush faintly dusted her cheeks.

"Everyone needs someone to watch their back," he answered simply, before starting to eat. Too hungry after a long mission, Alcyone had been too distracted to question him then and there.

* * *

Haurchefant's question stayed in her head after that night, and she found herself watching him even more.

Alcyone had always been drawn to the Elezen Noble, ever since their first encounter at Camp Dragonhead. He had been a little suspicious of the four adventurers, accompanied by the young Elezen Scholar and amnesiac Garlean, especially when she'd covered her horns and scales by wearing a cloak. After reading the letter from Francel and getting down to business, the noble had gotten to his feet.

"To hide your face warrants suspicion," he had commented as he approached. Immediately the woman, who was by far the smallest of the four, had shied back as Daryan's hand lifted instinctively towards his massive sword. Haurchefant had raised his hands in a reassuring way to show he meant no harm.

"It's fine," Aramis had been the one to back him up, and Haurchefant lowered the cowl to reveal Alcyone's pale scales and pink eyes. He then smiled at her.

"And to hide such a fair face would truly be a tragedy," his charming words made the healer's face burn red in a blush.

"Oh, I like him," Scorchos laughed.

Ever since then, Alcyone had found herself fascinated by the lord, who always seemed to have time for everyone. And when he had asked her who had her back, she was even more curious about him.

* * *

"You'll never win!" a Heretic had roared, swinging his blade towards Daryan. The Dark Knight had smirked as he easily blocked the attack and kicked the man backwards. "Now!" the man shouted as he recovered, and even more men had burst out from behind the snow banks.

"A trap," Haurchefant had spoken calmly as he drew his sword and lifted his shield. "I'm hardly surprised," he commented as Aramis drew his gun. It clicked as he loaded it, while Scorchos whistled to the Ruby Carbuncle at his feet.

Magic swirled through the air as a fight broke out in the snowy tundra. Shouts and yells could be heard through the night, as Daryan cut through any that were foolish enough to go near him. Darkness swirled around him as he used an array of his abilities, and his grin was feral.

"I must say, either we're getting stronger, or they are getting weaker," Aramis considered, and flipped through the air as he fired another shot, creating bullets as he moved and shooting them towards one of the many running at Daryan.

"Perhaps both," Scorchos smiled as the large book in his hand glowed with magic. He threw out his other hand, and slammed a Ruin spell into the same man.

Haurchefant always enjoyed working with the four. They were all interesting and brought their own spin on their quests. Fighting alongside them was thrilling. He grinned, blocking a sword with his shield and cutting them down, before letting out a grunt as another nicked through his armour.

"Hey!" the man looked around, just in time for the ground to rumble and explode under him. As he stumbled back, a wind spell collided with him, and the heretic screeched before collapsing. Impressed, Haurchefant looked around to see Alcyone focused on him, right before the pain in his arm faded and he looked down to see the cut knitting closed at a rapid rate. "I have your back," the Auri female had winked. Haurchefant's eyes widened in surprise at her words, before seeing a Heretic casting a spell towards her. He rushed past her, and in one quick move, cut down the man.

"And I have yours," he whispered to her as he moved past her, and saw her tail sway slightly as she stared.

* * *

Neither really knew who initiated it.

It was late, and it seemed like Daryan's snores could be heard throughout the Fortemps Manor. Despite it, almost everyone was sleeping like the dead, exhausted from another long day helping out with the war efforts. Almost everyone.

Leaning on the balcony that looked over a portion of the city, Alcyone was deep in thought. A lot had happened in a short amount of time, leading to the Scions falling apart and the Sultana...she took a deep breath, still seeing the small body of the Lalafell royal falling from her chair and lying still. She and the other Warriors of Light had been forced to run to the one person they knew they could trust.

At that thought, Alcyone's tail lashed from side to side, and she looked around to see Haurchefant approaching, looking tired.

"You're up late," he commented, and she didn't speak straight away, staring at his casual attire. He'd shed his armour, and the deep blue of his tunic was beautiful. It was well fitting, and Alcyone had to force her eyes back up to his face. To her horror, his smile was knowing, and she quickly turned her attention back to the view.

"Couldn't sleep," she said quietly, and tensed as he leaned on the railings beside her, closer than necessary, and close enough that she could feel his warmth. He didn't speak, inviting her to keep going. "Just...a lot has happened recently. I feel like I'm in over my head," Alcyone admitted.

"That's somewhat of a relief," Haurchefant's response was not what she expected, and she looked up in surprise. "I mean, I'm not thrilled to know that you're having trouble with this, but it makes you seem less out of reach," her blue eyes were wide as he smiled. "You have your fellow Warriors, you're not alone in any of this," he said quietly. "And you have me," the Elezen said, making Alcyone's stomach flip.

"Ri...right," she nodded, and her entire body went rigid as his cool fingers brushed one of her ivory-coloured horns, right beside where her finger had been running down.

"You're always touching your horn like that," his observation made her curse. Alcyone always had a tell when it came to her feelings, and he'd seen right through it.

Neither really knew who initiated it, but the next thing they knew, his lips were pressed to hers. His arms went around her waist, pulling her up and against him, and her hands rested on his chest, feeling his heart beating against her fingers. Feeling that, Alcyone was sure he could feel her own as it pounded hard, as their lips met again and again in soft kisses.

Haurchefant groaned against her mouth as her hands slid up his chest and her arms went around his neck to pull him closer to her. He responded by pulling her even closer.

"You asked...before," Alcyone murmured when they finally pulled apart, lungs burning. "Who had my back," she opened her eyes to look up as his nose brushed hers. He grinned.

"It would be an honour," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Alcyone arched an eyebrow at his words.

"Is that what you meant?" she asked, a giggle escaping. For the first time, he looked somewhat bashful, even as he didn't let her go.

"I had thought my intent clear," he said quietly, and with another laugh, Alcyone pushed up to kiss him again.

"Huh," Scorchos leaned against a pillar, petting the Carbuncle snoozing in his arms. "I suppose you were right," he said to Aramis, who smirked and fixed the hat he insisted on wearing.

"My friend, I usually am," he gave a shrug and walked off, leaving the two to it. Chuckling, the Summoner followed, ready for bed.

* * *

Haurchefant was true to his word. No matter the fight, he had Alcyone's back, allowing her to completely focus on keeping their very battle-eager Dark Knight alive. Although, he had found that she didn't need all that much protecting when it came to most battles.

The illegitimate noble had admired the four for a long time, even before they were revealed to be the Warriors of Light. Daryan was a fierce fighter and a powerful Dark Knight, and his trust in Alcyone to keep him alive seemed to only encourage his all-out fights. The silver-haired Hyur could be a bit standoffish at first, but after a few drinks, he was as loud as the rest.

Aramis was as graceful as to be expected from an Elezen, flipping through the air with rather dramatic movements as a Machinist, while never losing his large hat with the finest yellow and purple feather that Haurchefant had ever seen. He was confident and friendly, and his fellow Elezen enjoyed their discussions, and listening to his tales. Honestly, he would be surprised if Aramis wasn't also a Bard, for how much he enjoyed telling stories.

Their Summoner with a strong love of Carbuncles was probably the reason that the four were still alive to help everyone. Scorchos was a quick thinker, if not a little on the more sensitive side, and was usually able to talk his way out of a bad situation. The creatures he summoned were just as friendly, and obeyed his every word. He was the smallest of the four, but seemed to always have the most eyes on him, with his sweet smile and ruby Carbuncle either in his arms or by his side.

Alcyone, their often-teased White Mage who took their playful jests in her stride, had quickly proved that she was no pushover when it came to battles. In fact, Haurchefant had found that she could be as fierce as Daryan, if anyone harmed those she cared about. Her control over earth and wind was unmatched, especially when she was mad. But her kindness and determination to keep her friends safe, had won his heart, and he could scarcely believe it when she reciprocated his feelings.

So what was a man to do, when those he cherished, those he came to care for more as family than anything, were in harm's way?

All four were growing weary, having sprinted through the Vault, fighting members of the Heaven's Ward in order to rescue their friend Aymeric. But still they fought fiercely, not about to give up as Thordan made his escape.

"There!" Aramis' keen eye had spotted the airship making its way through the air to allow the Archbishop his escape. Rejoining with Haurchefant, as well as Lucia, Estinien and the injured Aymeric, they hurried to stop Thordan and put an end to the Dragonsong War.

"Father, please!" Aymeric's pleas echoed, stopping Thordan.

"We were not too late," Haurchefant said, relieved as he stood beside the Au Ra, whose tail lashed in her discomfort. Something felt off - wrong, but she couldn't figure out what. Unfortunately, Aymeric's words fell on deaf ears.

"Let's end this," Daryan drew his hefty greatsword and started running, his armour clanking. Aramis and Scorchos followed, with Alcyone hurrying after them as she drew her staff, and Haurchefant accompanied them.

Scorchos felt the shift in aether first, as his Carbuncle squeaked. He looked around, eyes growing wide as he spotted the figure standing above, aiming a glowing spear.

"Behind!" he shouted, and Haurchefant reacted first. Without looking behind him, he reached out and shoved Alcyone hard. The healer let out a cry as she tripped over her feet and hit the ground hard, her staff falling from her hand and over the edge of the ledge they were on. She turned, and her heart leapt into her throat as the spear collided with the shield bearing the Fortemps crest. It creaked and cracked, before breaking through.

Time seemed to slow for everyone, as the spear of light pierced through Haurchefant's chest. As he slowly tilted backwards, the light vanished, leaving nothing but a gaping hole through his body.

"No…" Aramis couldn't even bring himself to raise his gun, and even Daryan, who forged ahead no matter the hurdle, didn't seem to notice the airship taking off and leaving the devastation behind.

"No...no no no," Alcyone scrambled to the fallen lord's side, her hands starting to light up with the blinding white energy to heal him. She kept repeating the word as tears blinded her, not letting up on her healing magic. His eyes slowly opened, and he smiled at her.

"You...you are unharmed? F-forgive me...I could not bear the thought of...of…" he reached out, and she took his hand quickly.

"Stay with me, please," Alcyone sobbed, broken and begging the Elezen not long for the world. "You told me you would watch my back. You weren't supposed to...to…"

"Oh, do not look at me so…" he murmured, still smiling. "A smile better suits a hero," Haurchefant told her, before looking up at the others. "That goes for all of you," he told them. Sniffing, all of them forced themselves to smile. This seemed to brighten the look on his face, before his eyes closed and he went limp, dropping Alcyone's hand.

Scorchos turned around, blinded by his tears as Aramis pulled off his hat and held it to his chest. Daryan cursed, kicking a piece of shrapnel hard enough to send it flying.

"No...no!" the healing magic resumed in Alcyone's hand, channeled through her body as she stubbornly tried to heal Haurchefant.

"Alcyone…" Aymeric murmured, heartbroken at the sight in front of him.

"It's too late," Estinien muttered, head turned away.

"Shut up!" she screamed, the pain of her loss hitting them all. "I have this power for a reason. I'm a Warrior of Light! We save people, we don't...we don't…" her sobs broke up her words.

"Alcyone, if you keep going, you will end up the same way," Scorchos tried to warn her gently, reaching out to her. She slapped him away, not stopping what she was doing.

"Stop it," Daryan growled, but she didn't. His anger and frustration grew, as for the first time since they'd fled Ul'dah, he felt entirely helpless. "I said stop it," he repeated when she ignored him. "Hells! We will not lose you too," shoving his sword into Aramis' hands - which the lanky Elezen struggled to hold until he adjusted - Daryan wrapped his arms around Alcyone's waist and yanked the small woman backwards.

She fought him every step of the way. Cursing, thrashing, hitting, Alcyone did everything she could to keep going, but Daryan was far stronger, dragging her away and hiding his own pain.

"You're so busy watching everyone else's back, who watches yours?"

The words that started it all haunted Alcyone, and though she knew her response was still the same - her friends watched her back - the question never really felt answered again.

* * *

**Edited as I race-changed from Viera back to Au Ra (I really missed hats)**

**The four WoL are based on the characters of my friends and my own!  
**

**I hope you liked it, let me know what you think!**

**Please review!**


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